Venn Law Group

Venn Law Group, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based law firm, represents select businesses, business owners, and real estate professionals throughout the Southeast. The firm strives to be the destination for clients who seek a sounding board and guide in commercial real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation, mediation and arbitration, growth and exit planning, business transactions, and employment law. Additionally, Venn Law Group represents a broad spectrum of industries, including IT, manufacturing, professional services, construction, and distribution companies, to name a few.

The firm's owners have practiced together for approximately 20 years in Charlotte, North Carolina. Senior partners include Eric Bass, Andrew McCullough, Gary Smith, and Megan Sadler. All have extensive contacts and experience in the surrounding community. Much like our clients, we are also entrepreneurs and business owners who have grown the firm from the four original attorneys to nine. We are familiar with many of the same issues and struggles our clients face and strive to offer them practical solutions and advice. We believe that relationships drive business for ourselves and our clients.

Main Areas of Practice

Commercial Real Estate Services

Our Commercial Real Estate Team includes Andrew McCullough, Thomas Rivers, Evan Holst, and Edward Woodall.

The firm's Commercial Real Estate practice group provides extensive experience and a practical approach to help real estate developers, buyers, sellers, investors, landlords, tenants, brokers, corporations, and financial institutions in various real estate matters. These matters include:

• Real estate acquisition and disposition
• Retail, office, and industrial leasing
• Development, construction, and permanent financing
• Tax-deferred exchanges
• Administrative compliance for brokers (real estate license law)
• Ground leases and sale-leaseback transactions
• Zoning and land use regulation
• Real estate due diligence investigations
• Easements, restrictions, and other development agreements
• Joint venture and partnership agreements
• Local Counsel Legal Opinion Letters (NC and SC)

Representative Experience

Preparation of a private placement offering for investors and conducting a transaction to purchase and development of commercial property

Working as outside general counsel for a successful multiple-physician practice to develop 5 office locations over a multiple-year period, including lease negotiations, supplier contract negotiations, employment matters, and personal estate and tax planning for owners.

Corporate Services

Our Corporate Services Team includes Gary Smith, Eric Bass, Gordon Wikle, Edward Woodall, and Aubree Manley.

The firm's Corporate practice group regularly works with client management teams, private equity groups, entrepreneurs, other strategic and financial buyers, and owners desiring to sell all or part of their business. Our skilled team of professionals has extensive experience and a proven record in executing successful transactions and strategic advice on many business matters. These matters include:

• Business entity choice, formation, and structure
• Partnership agreements
• Buy/Sell and Shareholder agreements
• Mergers and acquisitions of businesses, representing both buyers and sellers
• Tax planning
• Contract drafting and review
• Limited securities offerings
• Licensing
• Franchising
• Succession and Exit Planning
• Employee incentives and management compensation, and ownership plans
• Employment Matters

Representative Experience

Assisting a local long-standing construction contractor in analyzing sale options and successfully transitioned ownership from the one owner to his key employees through a creative tax saving seller financed loan process that was also paid off early.

Reviewing and assisting a client regarding contracts with vendors and suppliers, resulting in an estimated $30 million expansion of business.

Other Practice Areas

Employment

General Counsel

Litigation - Our litigation team, led by Megan Sadler and Gordon Wikle, works across practice areas.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Succession & Exit Planning